“This 200-acre park provides a natural area for city dwellers to escape the everyday hustle and bustle and commune with nature,” said Mayor Henry. “But it also provides a great new facility available for families, including a large playground, a splash pad and a pavilion with restrooms.”
The Department has land-banked this property since the 1960's, and held numerous public meetings since 2004 to gauge what the public would like to see in their new park. Buckner's master plan includes 4 phases of development.
"From the early days, the general public acknowledged the unique nature of the park and urged that it remain in as natural state as possible, yet still provide amenities to the growing community,” said Moll. “We have a lot of dedicated people working with us on this project and I think they've done an excellent job blending the pavilion and playground with the natural landscape.”
The features of Phase One include:
- 2530 square foot open-air pavilion'handicap accessible, family changing room, 8 picnic tables.
- 2 playground structures with rubber poured in place surfacing. One structure for 2-5 year olds. One structure for 5-12 year olds. These two structures together will accommodate about 90 children.
- Splashpad with a nature theme'frogs and cattails.
- New wetland area for wildlife, aquatic, and plant life preservation.
- New prairie grass area to preserve natural environment.
- Large open mowed grass area for picnicking, kite flying, and field sport activities.
Future phases of Buckner Park will include a wetland, more trails, a large pond for fishing and ice skating, a sledding hill, a learning center, and much more natural space like a state park would have. Moll suggested Buckner Park offers many naming opportunities for individuals who provide support for the park. For more information call 427-6024.